Decisions
by B.Logan
Summary: Aidan keeps an eye on Josh.


Hello, before episode 207 aired I was inspired by the preview showing Aidan running thru the woods at night. However it was not supposed to take this long to write, what can I say that's life. Well here is the story for some reason this one did not come easy to write. I hope it was worth the wait. Please let me know what you think, I would love a review.

**Disclaimer**: Like everyone here I do not claim to own anything. I don't claim ownership of the characters, the show, or anything else.

He was early, about two hours so in his estimation. He walked calmly and deliberately through the woods, weaving a path that would be difficult to track. He was careful to make as little contact with the sounding foliage as possible, and not to leave footprints in the light dusting of snow. When he reached his destination, a small clearing about 2 feet by 3 he located a nearby tree and positioned himself comfortably in its high branches. He pulled the knife from his pocket snapped off a nearby branch and in the fading light he begin whittling. Leaning back against the trunk he paused, look up at the moon as it begun to make it appearance in the night sky and waited.

His eyes and ears alert, he froze motionless as he heard the approach of another, the hurried footfalls and heavy breathing, betrayed the wanders state of mind before he was even in sight. From his vantage point in the tree he watched intently as the young man nervously glanced up to the sky.

The air was cold and crisp and a thin layer of snow crunched beneath his sneakers. He came to a stop by a large tree on the edge of the clearing. Hurriedly he removed his backpack from his shoulder and leaned it against the tree. Rubbing his hands over his face he stared up at the moon and sighed heavily. In spite of the cold air the young man removed his jacket, rolled it up neatly and placed it in his pack. Next he began pealing off layers of clothing. He carefully folded each item and placed them into his pack, pausing for a moment he stood shirtless in the night air and gathered his nerve and continued. Next he removed his shoes and socks, then lastly his pants. Warm breath created puffs of air as he zipped up the backpack and tucked it safely into a tree branch a few feet above the ground. Striped down to his boxes the young man moved barefoot and freezing into the center of the clearing and anxiously waited.

He did not have to wait long; soon he felt a warm tingling sensation through out his entire body. For the first few seconds he almost welcomed the warmth. Then the pains begin. It radiated out from his gut causing him to double over, next it spread to his chest were he thought his heart might explode. His ribs cracked and broke in order to make room for his expanding internal organs. Acids and hormones pumped throughout his system as muscles budged while hair and claws grew. The popping and cracking of his body transforming was so loud in his ears that it drowned out the sound of his own voice, as his screams became howls of pain and his mouth could no longer form words.

A few short feet a way the watcher was not spared the cruel sight of transformation and the screams that accompanied it. He flinched as he watched unable to look away. It was as if the man was trying to hold back the ocean, the waves of pain crashing into his body, and with each wave his humanity was pulled further away in the undertow. Until finally left in his place when a man once stood was a large fierce wolf.

It was not the first time the watcher in the tree had seen this sort of thing. But it was the first time he ever had any connection to the cursed victim. He had met the kid just two short weeks ago, outside of a dinner in a dark ally, fighting for his life. Against his better judgment (witch he seldom ever heeded) he had intervened and chased away the kid's attackers, now he felt responsible for the guy. He knew blocks before he reached the scene of the fight what the kid was, but he stepped in anyway, bandaged him up, and befriended him. He told himself that he needed to keep an eye on him, to protect him, possibly use him or worse yet kill him. What better way to learn more then by keeping you friends close and your enemies closer.

Tonight he would make a decision; he'd know what to do, one way or another. Tonight their true natures would be revealed.

All of his life experience told him the kid wasn't a threat to anyone other then himself. The kid lived so tightly wrapped up in own hurt and anxiety that be barely questioned the nature of the world that had just opened up around him. He was lost, scared and so desperate that he accepted his help with little resistance. The kid accepted him completely with barely a second thought, and seemed almost grateful to know him. It was a welcome change for him to feel instant camaraderie, but still he worked hard not to set the kid on edge or reveal too much about himself. He was not a good person but he wanted to be one. He was not a people person but knew how to lie and pretend. He was not a good friend, but he knew how act like one. The truth was he kind of liked the kid. He was earnest and honest. In a way he was envious of the freedom in which the kid expressed himself. He has always worked so hard to suppress desires and experiences. His need to maintain constant control was exhausting.

The large brown wolf looked to the moon and let out a howl, the sound pulled the watcher from his thoughts. The wolf sniffed at the ground then the air. Its senses on fire, it circled the area looking for meal. It caught wind of something lifted its head high, and inhaled all of nature. The wolf picked a direction and took off, dashing into the woods.

And with that the chase was on. It took all his speed and skill just to keep up with the wolf and avoid detection. He stayed mostly in the treetops leaping from on tree to another always staying a few yards behind the wolf.

By the time the heard of deer detected danger and scattered it was too late. The buck was young and fast as it made its way leaping and weaving effortlessly through the thick dense forest. The giant wolf took him down with little effort; its large strong paws clipped its hindquarters, as razor shape claws tore into flesh. Within minutes the wolf was feasting. Warm blood flowed freely, as strong jaws made quick work of the buck. The smell of blood drifted upward to assault the senses of the watcher in the tree causing him to swallow hard. After the meal, the well feed wolf wandered, covering many acres and marking its territory.

The watcher was impressed by the wolf's natural abilities as it moved effortlessly through the night; it's movements graceful and confident very unlike its other more normal state. The watcher grew anxious, as the wolf's wondering brought it near civilization. He reached inside his jacket for the gun strapped to his side and felt the wooden handled slip into his palm like an old familiar friend. He was prepared he had taken the time to clean the gun and polish the sliver bullets. He was ready to do what was necessary.

The wolf prowled the woods searching for an outlet for its energy. It had seen the lights of the city in the distance and made his way toward them. Along the way it had caught the scent of something other, something not animal and not human either. It was difficult to understand and the wolf was intrigued, he turned and changed direction. Puzzled by the wolf's sudden change of course the watcher closed his eyes and opened up his sense to determine what the wolf had already picked up on, damn _Vampires_ he thought.

It turns out that the wolf was not only being watched but hunted as well. The hunters were ruthless vampires, their mission was to capture or kill the wolf. Using their numbers to their advantage they circled around the beast until they cornered the wolf. By the time the wolf understood that it was now pray it was too late. They ambushed it and forced it to run, corralling it toward a steep drop off, leaving the wolf with no direction to escape.

The wolf looked panicked as its glowing eyes darted from one figure to the next. Cornered facing the hunters the wolf retreated backwards until it ran out of room, its hind leg slipping off the edge of the drop off. Its paws knocked small stones loose, the sounds of which grew fainter as they plummeted below. With no direction to run and out of options the wolf he squared it haunches and reluctantly prepared to fight. It had little chance of survival with the odds two against one.

They hunters approached the snarling wolf with the confidence that comes from experience. They moved in closer but still mindful of the danger that it posed, a wolf is one of the few things that could kill their kind. They were armed and the retreating wolf was running out of space to maneuver, the shorter vampire drew his weapon and aimed it directly at the beast. The second taller bearded vampire pulled a large knife from his jacket. "Come on little dog, just be a good little dog and I'll take you home with me." The bearded one slowly continued to advance preparing to take down the wolf.

Then suddenly from the treetops above the watcher dropped down between the wolf and the hunters, a branch sharpened into a stake in hand. He landed solidly in a half crouched position; rising up to his full height he made a dramatic display of baring his fangs and hissing out a warning. Both figures paused in alarm as they recognized the wolf's protector.

"Aidan! I should have known you'd be here," the bearded vampire spat out, venom dripping from his every word.

"Yeah, we should have known. Looks like you got a thing for dogs" chimed in his short dark haired companion.

"Your right, you should have, but your way to stupid to think that far ahead, aren't you?" taunted Aidan trying to keep them distracted and away from the wolf.

"HA, HA. Looks like this night just got a lot more interesting." The beard vamp grew excited with anticipation of the fight.

"Give it up Marcus! This wolf is mine." Aidan glowered menacingly. He had expected that they might show tonight, he had feed and was feeling strong. He was prepared to battle both attackers and end it one way or another.

"Not true, we found him first " proclaimed the taller vamp. Tightening his grip on the knife in his hand "and if we can't have him…nether can you." With that Marcus lunged forward to stab Aidan. Aidan deflected the charge sending Marcus hurdling into the nearby wolf, his hand plunging the knife into the wolf's neck as he fell forward. The wolf was frozen in place watching the exchange, and the unexpected sting of the knife entering his body solicited a painful angry howl from the wolf.

Enraged the wolf started toward his assailant. The shorter frightened vampire prepared to fire his weapon at the wolf. Aidan rushed forward with inhuman speed lowered his shoulder and slammed into the shorter man, with a loud bang the gun was knocked from his hand as his body hit the ground hard. Reaching down and gripping the man by his shirt he picked him up and tossed him aside like a rag doll.

Next he turned to his attention to bearded man,"I told you before, Marcus, Leave. Him. Alone." The last part of his words came out with the guttural force. Anger flashing in his black eyes, he lunged, trading punches with Marcus that would have incapacitated a normal human. Suddenly the first assailant reappeared grabbing him from behind and putting Aidan in a headlock. The Marcus took the opportunity to land several devastating punches to his face and midsection. Struggling Aidan managed to reach back and grip the first guy and flip him up and over his head. Tossing him toward Marcus the two vampires ended up in a tangled heap. Reaching down with one hand he grabbed Marcus from the pile of limbs, by the throat and shoved him into a tree with such force that the trunk cracked. Scrambling from where he had been tossed the shorter vampire ran toward Aidan full speed. At the last second before impact Aidan leaped into the air, raised his arm high above his head, took aim and plunged the wooden stake full force deep into his heart. The short vampire had little time to comprehend what had happened, within seconds he was dust.

Marcus saw an opportunity to make a deadly strike of his own; as Aidan landed Marcus swept his leg around and took Aidan's feet out from under him. Knocking him off balance he quickly pinned him to the ground and resumed pummeling him staining the snow a crimson red.

Now the angered the previously hesitant wolf joined the fray, silently stalking up behind Marcus he bit into the bearded man side. The wolf's teeth sank deep into the vampire; the best shook his head violently and tossed the vampire about like a chew toy. Aidan regained his equilibrium and grudgingly saved Marcus by grabbing hold of his legs and literally ripping him from the jaws of the wolf, leaving behind large chunks of his assailant to the wolf's powerful mouth in the process.

Losing hold of the vampire irritated the injured wolf. It turned menacingly toward the two figures, slowly it moved in closer it's teeth bared and snapping. Marcus thought the better of the situation so he turned tail and limped away slinking back into the night. Aidan stood his ground. The wolf continued to advance and for a moment Aidan feared that he might regret his actions tonight.

The wolf snarled and growled as Aidan carefully retreated. For every step Aidan took backward the wolf advanced a step forward, until he was standing on the same dangerous terrain that the wolf had been on earlier. When the wolf was within inches its demeanor unexpectedly shifted, from anger to something other. Did the wolf recognize him, did it know his scent, and could it tell? Unsure and running out of space he made his stand. His drew a deep breath and forced himself to relax. His black eyes resumed their color and he adjusted his posture to something less threatening. Trusting in his new friendship he tentatively he reached a hand out toward the wolf. The wolf froze unsure, after a long few seconds it lowered its head just the slightest bit. Aidan's shuffled a half step forward and his hand barley grazed the course fur of the wolf when their eyes met and something passed between them, a second later it was gone and so was the wolf. Reverting to instinct, it fled into the dark cold night.

The excitement past and the pain began. Aidan looked down to his left thigh and noticed for the first time that he had been shot, grazed really by the bullet meant for the wolf. Pushing his pain aside he looked up to the moon. "Good" he thought there we still a few hours until morning, he needed to find the injured wolf and fast. Aidan's eyes went black again as he took off after the wolf in the now heavily falling snow. The smell of blood made it easy to track but was overwhelmingly sickening to his senses. The wolf had not made it very far in dark night before it collapsed. Aidan approached with caution; kneeling in the snow he leaned in close to examine the wound. The wolf had the knife still lodged in the side of its neck. Aidan knew he had to remove the knife and soon before the transformation ended. The man would never survive the injury but the wolf could heal quickly if he acted fast. In spite of his fear that the wolf would wake and attack he proceeded to move in closer. He position himself behind the wolf body his knee resting against its spine, he removed his shirt and wrapped it several times around the wolf's muzzle and tied it closed. I wasn't mush he thought but at least it was something. He gently placed on hand on the neck of the wolf; it stirred and whined. Firmly he gripped the handle of the knife with his free hand. He pulled the knife out in one smooth efficient motion. The wolf's entire body jerked and writhed in pain, a whimper escaped as its head thrashed about, but the wolf did not wake. Relieved that the knife was out he was now concerned about the profuse amount of blood loss, it had to be stopped. The knife had hit a vital spot and Aidan knew he needed to apply constant and even pressure to stem the bleeding. But the wound was deep and wide Aidan knew that pressure alone would not be enough so in spite of the smell and worse yet the taste he spat and licked the wolfs wound, vampire saliva held a very powerful coagulant. After he readjusted his body to a more comfortable position and scooped the wolf into his lap, so he could wrap his arms around it in such a way that both hands held the wound tight. The wolf shivered with cold and pain as he did his best to shield the wolf from the elements. Knowing that his body could not provide heat, he used his jacket to cover and warm the wolf the best he could. He anxiously looked to the night sky, the snow was beginning to accumulate and he did what he had not done in ages, he prayed that there would be enough time, and he waited.

Josh woke to the sound of birds chirping, and found himself covered in a thin layer of snow despite the several inches piled high nearby. He felt extremely week and the events of the night were a blur, his body covered in blood and scratches. He had a very sharp pain in the side of his neck, he reach his hand up to feel the wound and was surprised at the severity of it. It felt slimy and strange like it had been treated with something. It had already begun to heal. He desperately wished he could recall the events of the night. It took ever thing he had but he managed to get up and walk. He was about two miles away from the clearing where he had stashed his stuff. Naked and cold he began his journey back. He traveled only few yards when stumbled and fell, looking up from where he lay; he spotted his backpack leaning against the base of a nearby tree. How did it get there he wondered. Had someone moved it? Had he? It this point his body and mind was to battered and bruised to contemplate it further. Grateful for whatever the reason he opened the sack and donned his clothes, thankful for the warmth they provided.

Downwind the watcher sighed in relief for an answered prayer, to see his friend still alive.

"Hey" Aidan greeted from behind his locker as he heard Josh approach.

"Hey" replied Josh softly.

"How did it go?" He kept his voice casual.

Josh shrugged "I don't know, the usual I guess." as he wearily sat down on the bench tiring to keep he pain he felt from creeping into his voice.

"Oh?... Do you, want to talk abou.." he gently ventured.

"No. Absolutely not" he firmly cut Aidan off with a harsh whisper.

"Okay, okay" Aidan agreed as he closed the locker door separating them.

Josh turned to face Aidan preparing to tell him this was something he was not going to discuss. But he stopped, surprised to see Aidan looking extremely pale and coved in burses. "You look like hell. What happed to you?"

"Nothing, just a rough night in the ER" he lied as Josh tossed him a 'I don't know if believe you for one minute look.'

Reading Josh's face, "Crazy patient attack, that's all," he added convincingly.

"oh" suddenly Josh felt like a asshole, for being jerk to the only guy who knew and cared about him. "So..sor..sorry," Josh stuttered.

"It's okay we all have rough night or two every now and then." Aidan smiled as he slipped into his leather jacket that still smelled to him of werewolf blood. Slapping Josh playful on the arm, he made his way out of the locker room with the slightest of limps. "What's important is that we both managed to survive the night."

Josh sat on the bench rubbed his arm where Aidan had touched him, a vague memory flash into is mind, fear, pain, and comfort. The hairs on his neck stood up, and without fully understanding it was gone.


End file.
